FERC Might Rewrite Solar Net Metering. Here’s What That Could Mean

By [email protected] A recent petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could trigger nationwide changes to solar net metering. On April 14, the New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) petitioned FERC to assert jurisdiction over any on-site, behind-the-meter generation that injects energy onto the grid.

If FERC asserts such jurisdiction in the manner requested by NERA, individual states could lose control over their solar net-metering policies — with myriad implications for the U.S. distributed solar market.

NERA’s net-metering petition

Today, states set their own rules for solar energy generated by residential, commercial and municipal utility customers in excess of what the customer needs at any